The Royals' [Sorta] Shiny New Outfield

by Satchel Price on Jan 28, 2011 1:14 PM EST in Team Previews & Analysis

On Opening Day 2010, the Royals employed an outfield of Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus. Apparently realizing that it wasn't exactly a star-studded group, they traded away all three over the past year- Podsednik and Ankiel during the 2010 season, and DeJesus early in this offseason.

Coming off the DeJesus trade, you had to imagine that the Royals would seek out some new options to supplement the young guys already in the organization. Channeling his inner Jim Bowden, Dayton Moore went out and acquired a bevy of outfielders that range from intriguing to "this guy kinda sucks, yeah?"

Jeff Francoeur, Lorenzo Cain, Melky Cabrera and Brett Carroll were all brought in over the past couple months to join Alex Gordon, Mitch Maier, Gregor Blanco, Jarrod Dyson and David Lough as potential outfield options for the 2011 club. So how exactly are the Royals going to divvy up the playing time?

Let's make a few assumptions here. Cabrera and Francoeur both signed one-year MLB deals, so they're highly likely to be among the five outfielders that Kansas City employs going into next season. Gordon just agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract and Lorenzo Cain was a key part of the Zack Greinke deal, so I think it's fair to assume that they're starting next season in Kansas City as well.

Given that those four are pretty much locks to make the team, here's how I would suggest that the Royals let their outfield play out for next season. I think it's entirely fair to argue that Cain and Gordon absolutely have to play everyday. They're really the only options here that have legitimate upside, and given Kansas City's place on the win spectrum they should really be prioritizing potential.

That leaves us to fill out right field, and here's my suggestion: a platoon of Francoeur and Blanco. I know it doesn't exactly sound like a bucket of fun, but I do think that together they could provide some production from that spot. Francoeur's hit .299/.343/.481 against lefties in his career, while Blanco's hit .272/.371/.343 against right-handers in 634 plate appearances. These guys are pretty different players: Blanco's value lies in on-base skills and speed, while Francoeur's is based in hitting ability and good power. But given the array of options that the Royals have, this does seem to be the best way to utilize them at the moment.

Maybe the Royals will realize that giving playing time to Lough or Dyson over Cabrera makes an infinite amount of sense, but until that happens I think that we just need to hope that Francoeur is limited to platoon duties and Cabrera's limited to hardly playing at all. And if Cabrera and Francoeur are taking playing time away from Cain and Gordon, then, well, you're granted the right to get pretty pissed.

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Re: Francoeur & Melky

Now, maybe this will be a case where DM does right by his own guys, but his handling of Aviles and Kila K really make me wonder.

See Data Differently: Beyond the Box Score | @justinbopp

by Justin Bopp on Jan 28, 2011 1:30 PM EST reply actions

That's my worry as well

DM keeps making all the right moves at the minor league level, but we continue to see him make iffy decisions when it comes to using his roster at the MLB level.

You have to worry at least a little that they give Francoeur 500+ PA and use Cabrera frequently in favor of Cain/Gordon.

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by Satchel Price on Jan 28, 2011 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

What a maddening GM.

I mean, he make some classically anti-saber comments, loves him some intangibles, and everything we all have discussed ad naseum about everything wrong he ever does.

But then there are those moves that make me think he’s a mad genius, and some of the bad moves are just to throw well known smart(er?) GMs off the trail. This train of thought is obviously crazy, but still.

It more likely that he’s really, really good at scouting and really, really bad (or inexperienced) at handling players at the big league level. The best thing about the former is that he’s done well enough that we’ll know within a year or two if he can overcome the latter. My money is on yes.

See Data Differently: Beyond the Box Score | @justinbopp

by Justin Bopp on Jan 28, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

I fully expect DM to use Cain's option...

….so that we can all bask in Melky for a year.

by kcemigre on Jan 28, 2011 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Funny how my next post relates to this.

Good job Satchel. My favorite team (the Royals) have a lot to be excited about for the future. We’ll discuss that on the podcast, but I like a Francoeur/Cain/Gordon outfield a lot for a team like the Royals, but not any other team really.

Dave Gershman - Beyond the Box Score / SPANdemonium / Royals Prospects / Athletics Nation / Penn League Report / Twitter: @Dave_Gershman

by Dave Gershman on Jan 28, 2011 3:27 PM EST reply actions

A maddening GM is right

Ned Yost recently stated that they didn’t know what they would get in Greinke trade when they signed Cabrera. So now we have a mess in the outfield. The buzz around KC is that Moore promised Cabrera playing time (to get him to come to KC?). It’s a given that Francouer will start in right and Gordon should be in left. I too hope Cain is in center but the fear is that he will start in AAA cause he doesn’t have a lot of AAA at bats. Blanco and Dyson are in the mix with Maier probably traded or DFA’d.

The Process - A Painful Path to the Future

by theycallmerazor on Jan 28, 2011 10:55 PM EST reply actions